Reeling of material



w. RENERY ETAL REELING OF MATERIAL Filed March 29, 1954 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I a y I Mag-ch 31; 1959 lIIIlIlIII/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIII INVE/VMP) United States Patent REELI NG OF MATERIAL Application March 29, 1954, Serial No. 419,414

Claims. (Cl. 2712.1)

This invention relates to the passage of webs of ma terialsthrough treating chambers or the like, and more especiallyfor the wet treatment, such as dyeing, bleaching, tie-sizing and the like, of smooth extended webs of fabric, synthetic resin materials and other materials.

The object of the invention is to provide for continuous movementof a web through the treating chamber, for a time period of any desired duration while ensuring that the full length of the web will be under treatment for the desired period.

Heretofo're it has been the normal practice to move such webs intermittently or periodically. Although one manner of operating a winding system in such apparatus has been suggested for allowing continuous passage of a web, that method has the disadvantage that 'when initially feeding the web torollers a fold must be 'made in the web at a presentable distance from one end and the fold then introduced to the rollers whichthus draw on a double winding comprising both folded lengths of web. Since different webs under treatment are of materials of different thicknesses it is ditficult to select the precise point along the length of the web at which this initial fold should be made in order to ensure that the chamber shall be fully loaded but not overloaded. Furthermore that length of web initially fed to the rollers is of necessity withdrawn from the chamber shortly thereafter before it has been subjected to treatment for the complete time period desired, and this portion of the web is either discarded or requires further subsequent treatment.

In order to over-come the aforesaid limitations of known practice the present invention provides for a method of passing a web of material through a treating chamber or the like wherein a free end of the Web is first fed to, and wound in single layer upon, a roller in the chamber, whereafter an intermediate point of the web is attached to a second roller in the chamber which is rotated to wind in a double layer, one layer being drawn from the infed web, and the other layer being withdrawn from the single-layered winding of the web on the firstmentioned roller.

The invention further provides for an apparatus for carrying out the method specified in the next preceding paragraph comprising a chamber having an inlet and an outlet for a web of material and two rollers over which the web passes successively between the inlet and outlet, said two rollers being rotatable in such a manner that while one is winding on a single layer of infed web from the inlet, the other is unwinding a single layer of web for feeding to the outlet.

In working the invention the web moves continuously and can be arranged to be subjected to treatment for as long a period as desired, while it is not necessary to preselect an initial fold at an intermediate point along the length of the web and the web is subjected to a uniform period of treatment over its full length.

With the above and other objects of the invention in View, the invention consists in the novel methods, construction, arrangement and combination of various devices, elements and parts, as set forth-in the claims hereof, one embodiment of the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the specification.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the arrangement in accordance with the invention, showing the apparatus in a first stage of the process;

Figure 2 is a schematic view similar to Figure l but with the chamber omitted, and diagrammatically showing the driving mechanism, in a second stage;

Figure 3 is a schematic view similar to the preceding views, but showing a further stage.

Figure 4 is a schematic view similar to the preceding views, but showing a subsequent stage.

Figure 5 is a schematic view similar to the preceding views, showing a still further stage; and A Figure 6 is a schematic view similar to the preceding views, but showing a final stage. I l

In carrying the invention into effect in one of the embodiments which has been selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings and for description in this specification and referring now particularly to Figure 1, there is provided a treatment chamber 1 in which there are journalled a plurality of winding or receiving rollers, for instance, the two rollers 2 and 3. A web 4 of fabric is introduced into the chamber 1 by means of a pair of feed rollers 5 and the forward end 6 of the web 4 is clamped on the roller 2; the clamping may be accomplished by any suitable means, for instance, by a movable bar 7 that operates to press the web 4 into a corresponding recess 8 that is formed in the surface of the roller 2. Thereafter, the roller 2 is rotated in direction A and the web 4 wound thereon throughout approximately onehalf of its length.

Subsequently, the web 4 is connected to the roller 3 by attaching to the roller 3 the portion of the web 4 that extends between the rollers 5 and the roller 2. The attaching to the roller 3 may again 'be made by means of a bar 17 that fits into a corresponding groove 18 of the roller 3. The bar 17 and groove 18 are best shown in Fig. 1 while the attaching of the web 4 to the roller 3 is schematically indicated in Fig. 2.

Subsequently, the two rollers 2 and 3 are simultaneously rotated in direction C opposite to the preceding r0 tation of the roller 2. By this rotation in direction C of both rollers 2 and 3, the web will, owing to the attachment to the roller 32, the bar 17, be wound in a double layer on the surface of the roller 3 while unwinding the fabric 4 off the roller 2. At the end of this stage (Fig. 3), a double-layered winding of the web 4 of fabric will be contained on the roller 3.

Thereafter, the rollers 2 and 3 are again reversed so that they both will rotate in the direction A, while the forward end 6 of the web 4 is passed between a pair of feed rollers 9 for outward discharge movement thereby. Owing to the attachment of the web 4 by the bar 7 to the roller 2, continued winding in the direction A will result in a double-layer winding of the web 4 onto the roller 2, and a corresponding unwinding off the roller 3 (Fig. 4). At the end of this stage, when the rollers 2 and 3 come to rest after having been turned in the direction A (Fig. 5), substantially the entire web 4 of fabric will be disposed on the roller 2, except that part which has been discharged by the rollers 9; and the terminal end portion of the web 4 will be connected to the roller 3.

This process can be carried on continuously until the entire web 4 has passed through the treatment chamber 1 in the manner described. Clearly, it is possible for the purpose of achieving treatment throughout any desired period of time to wind the web 4 of fabric to and fro several times in double-layered manner between the two rollers 2 and 3 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5). If desired, it is possible to provide a plurality of rollers 2 and of rollers 3, single rollers 2 and 3 having been shown in the drawing for the purpose of clarity and simplicity.

After the web 4 has been rolled up on roller 2 (Fig. 5), it may then be discharged entirely out of the chamher 1 in a final stage. By turning rollers 2 and 3 in direction C, the majority of the web 4 will be woundotf the roller 2 and onto the roller 3, but this time in single-layer manner (Fig. 6), and thereafter it may be discharged from the chamber 1 by unwinding in direction A off the roller 3.

The two winding rollers 2 and 3 may be driven by suitable means, for instance, by a reversible motor M that drives a differential mechanism 10 which rotates the roller 2 by a gearing 11 and the roller 3 by a gearing 12, as shown schematically in Fig. 2.

Brakes B2 and B3 are provided for braking the respective roller during maintaining standstill thereof.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the novel principles of the invention disclosed herein in connection with specific exemplification thereof will suggest various other modifications and applications of the same. It is accordingly desired that in construing the breadth of the appended claims they shall not be limited to the specific exemplification of the invention described herein.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a method of passing a web of material through a treating chamber provided with two rollers, said rollers having a fixed point of rotation, the steps of feeding the free end of the web into the chamber, attaching the free end to the first roller, rotating the first roller to wind the web up to one-half of its length as a single layer upon said first roller, attaching an intermediate point of the web to the second roller in the chamber, rotating the second roller in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said first roller to wind a double web layer upon said second roller by drawing one layer from the infed web and withdrawing the other layer from the single-layered winding of the web located in said first roller, feeding said free end out of said chamber, rotating the first roller to wind a double web layer upon said first roller by drawing one layer from the infed web and withdrawing the other layer from that layer of the winding of the web located on said second roller which has no free end.

2. A method of continuously passing, through a winding system including a pair of winding rollers, a smooth spread-out web of fabric, comprising the steps of initially placing with its free leading end the web of fabric as a single layer on one roller of said pair, causing said one roller to rotate in one direction and, when about one-half of the winding capacity of said one roller is reached, forming a first fold in the web and placing said first fold on the other roller, reversing said one roller to revolve in the opposite direction, rotating the other roller in said opposite direction and maintaining the feeding of the web of fabric thereby winding onto the other roller a double layer by drawing one layer from the fed web and by drawing the other layer unwinding from said one roller until said one roller is unloaded, detaching the free leading end of the fabric from said one roller and drawing it off and away from said system, reversing said other roller to revolve in said one direction, forming in the web another fold and placing said other fold on said one roller, rotating both rollers in said one direction to wind unto said one roller a double layer by drawing one layer from the fed web and by drawing the other layer from one of the layers unwinding from the other roller, and drawing off and away from the winding system the other layer unwinding from the other roller.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 characterized by maintaining the feeding and continuous withdrawal of the web of fabric as often as may be required without dividing the web of fabric.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that on completion of the feeding, the tail end of the web of fabric can run in at any desired moment of time and be wound-in with the web of fabric running between two rollers.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2, characterized by the steps of winding the tail end of the web of fabric as a single layer on to the other roller during the unwinding of the one roller and drawing it off the other roller after the unloading of the one roller and reversal of the direction of rotation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,151,363 Wedler Mar. 21, 1939 2,298,925 Bridges Oct. 13, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 36,718 Rovira Mar. 26, 1909 

